Hundreds of El Paso County residents could contract West Nile virus this year and a few of them could even die, a county health official warned Colorado Springs council members Monday.

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Tom Wood said he was basing his assessment on areas where the virus spread in the past.

Council members were surprised by the grim assessment and said they hope Wood's analysis didn't cause panic.

West Nile virus first emerged in New York in 1999 and killed seven people. It continued to spread westward, finally hitting the Rocky Mountain states last year and killing 241 people nationwide. Put another way, one out of every 18 people who tested postitive for the virus died last year.

Wood said the virus is expected to be more active this year. "We are going to need help," Wood said. "This is a big problem, and we anticipate it is going to be a very big problem."